Cláudia and Catarina Soares Pereira of Casa do Passadiço designed the Aquazzura offices in Florence’s Palazzo Corsini, where a pair of Warren Platner chairs sit at a 1970s brass desk found on 1stdibs. The brass-topped Rosso Lepanto marble coffee table also comes from the site. Photo by Francisco Almeida Dias
These oval tiles by Heath Ceramics add dimension to the backsplash and island in this Los Angeles condo by Jeff Andrews. “This was the very first decision made for this kitchen and the starting point for the design,” Andrews says. “The deep, earthy color of the tiles and the sculptural shape ground the open-concept kitchen and provide visual interest.” Andrews wanted open-framework, architectural seating, so he chose Aro stools by Bernhardt. The Oval Boi chandelier by David Weeks gives “a wink to mid-century style.” Photo by Grey Crawford
“In the case of this tile, I wanted to juxtapose the minimalist island and countertop design and add some historical flavor to the modern kitchen,” Tatum Kendrick of Studio Hus says of this Los Angeles home. “Since it was covering such a large surface, I didn’t want something that was too ornately patterned or colorful which would have overpowered the kitchen and felt too busy.” The drop-leaf dining table is a piece from the homeowners’ collection, which Kendrick paired with Eames dining chairs to juxtapose the antique with the modern. Photo by Shade Degges
This solarium is a 1930s addition to an historic Philadelphia townhouse dating from the mid-19th century, and Thomas Jayne of Jayne Design Studio selected the geometrically patterned Mexican floor tiles to speak to the shellstone walls and to add more texture. Photo by Pieter Estersohn
“I love the texture and interest that tile brings to a space,” says Angie Hranowsky, who designed this Indiana kitchen. “Tiling gives rooms a handmade quality and, when done in large expanses, it opens up the space. We wanted a modern but traditional kitchen to work with the style of the house. I didn’t want a traditional subway tile, and this subtle shade of milky gray and its long, thin dimensions was the perfect color and scale.” The room includes a table base by McGuire and a custom bleached walnut table top. The dining chairs are vintage Danish. Photo by Julia Lynn
The owner of this London townhouse by Hubert Zandberg wanted the kitchen to be an extension of the garden. Richly glazed ceramic tiles that cover the walls and shelves add vibrancy and color to the space, which is otherwise dominated by woody and metallic tones. The lighting started as individual pieces that the designer customized as a single fitting. Photo by Luke White
“The brief for this townhouse, located in the heart of the West Village, was to create a calming environment, bringing the outdoors and the feeling of nature in, using texture, natural materials and color,” says Amy Lau of this Manhattan renovation project. “We selected Heath Ceramics‘s glossy glazed tiles in golden yellow to echo the theme and to create the perfect rhythmic background for the floating wood shelves.” The Eero Saarinen dining table is surrounded by 1950s Danish chairs. The floating shelves feature vintage glass vases and ceramics from Italy, Denmark and Sweden. Photo by Mark Roskams
Reath Design created this painted-tile bathroom for the Maison de Luxe Show House at Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles. Photo by Laure Joliet
The entryway of this Mercer Island, Washington, home by Kelly Wearstler features marble tiled floor paired with dramatic art and furnishings. According to the firm, the home was intended to be a combination “Parisian jewel box, scholar’s retreat and natural wonder.” Photo by Grey Crawford
This bedroom in a South Beach, Miami, apartment by Frank Roop features a wide band of small tiles that sweeps across the floor and up to the ceiling, resembling a lane in a swimming pool. Photo by Eric Roth
Sorbet-colored Moroccan tiles on the floor and backsplash paired with a mint-green refrigerator create a retro vibe in the kitchen of this Kemble Interiors–designed pool house in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Evan Sklar
“The tile is a Mexican cement tile purchased from Villa & Mission Imports in San Diego,” John Ike of Ike Kligerman Barkley says of this San Diego home. “All four bathrooms have the same material executed in different designs but using the same three colors: blue, aqua and white. The cabinet is a custom design by me with a cork countertop, Speakman faucets, cork floors and a Kohler corner bathtub.” Photo by William Waldron
For this East Hampton, New York, bathroom, Timothy Godbold paired subway-tiled walls with a Waterworks marble mosaic floor. The space also features a Bong marble stool from Capellini and a kilim runner. Photo by Rikki Snyder
Punchy patterned tiles cover the patio of this Lower Manhattan penthouse by Sheila Bridges Design. Photo by Dana Meilijson
This bathroom is at Petit Trois restaurant in Hollywood. Says Estee Stanley of Hancock Design, “The owner and chef, Ludo Lefebvre, loves green. It’s the color of his dreams. When designing, we thought these green Clé cement tiles would be beautiful and still keep the feeling of a more contemporary bistro in L.A. We loved the mix with the black diamond. I felt it would be more interesting than just using the green.” Photo by Chris Patey
A bathroom in this Spanish Revival home in Los Angeles by Madeline Stuart looks like it’s covered in antique tiles, but there’s a twist. “The entire bathroom was painted to look like real tile, but it’s all faux,” Stuart says of the work of artist Jean Horihata. “The squares were individually hand painted over gesso and then ‘grouted’ and lacquered to look like tile. The artist even chipped away at the gesso to make it appear that the tiles were antique and had some chipped corners. It’s a masterpiece of faux artistry.” Photo by Janice Barta
Achille Salvagni seldom uses contemporary ceramic tilework in his projects, opting instead for marble and other types of stone. However, he has a great passion for antiquities. So when these original 18th-century ceramic tiles were unearthed during the restoration of this palazzo in Rome, Salvagni knew he had to integrate them into the kitchen. He also designed the (much newer) light fixture and bar stools. Photo by Paolo Petrignani
Hubert Zandberg designed this Paris pied-à-terre, and in the bathroom, the cement tiles echo the botanical colors and geometric used patterns throughout the apartment. The sink is a 19th-century industrial unit that was customized and turned into a working vanity with a slate basin. Vintage glove moulds from Portobello Market hold contemporary lights above the sink. Photo by Nicolas Matheus
In the kitchen of the same Paris apartment, Zandberg reinforced the industrial feel with darkly glazed ceramic tiles. Old luggage racks are used as open shelving, and the bar stools are vintage pieces that the firm reupholstered. Photo by Nicolas Matheus
A mix of solid and patterned tiles add color and interest to this Hawaii beach house kitchen by Studio MRS Interiors. Photo by Olivier Koning
Katie Martinez says she “used a palette of black, white and brass to create drama and style” to fulfill the client’s wish for a “bold update” in this Oakland, California, bathroom, which includes subway tile on the walls and an encaustic tile on the floor. Photo by Aubrie Pick
